Many new bathrooms feature tubs that are separate from a shower enclosure. These tubs may have deck-mounted tub faucets instead of conventional wall-mounted faucets. Deck-mounted faucets often are mounted on a horizontal ledge around the perimeter of the tub. This ledge may be formed integrally with the tub or built up out of ceramic tile or stone.
Standard valves used in deck-mounted tubs often are threaded around its outside diameter and can be tightened by two nuts attached to the valve, one above the deck and one below the deck. Because deck-mounted structures usually enclose the valve completely with tile or other material, the underside of the valve is inaccessible after the valve is installed. If the valve loosens due to, for example, extended use or inadequate tightening, the valve needs to be tightened both above and below the deck to remedy the problem. Because the valve is enclosed in the deck, valve tightening may involve breaking out portions of the deck and/or maneuver tools underneath the tub to reach the underside of the valve, assuming that the underside of the valve is even accessible at all.
The structure of the decks themselves poses additional problems. A conventional installation would involve threading the valve through holes in a tub ledge integrally formed with the tub. A customized installation, however, involves mounting the valve to plywood decking and then building up ceramic tile and any associated underlayment around the valve. Integral tub ledges are normally thinner than custom-formed ledges, and therefore different valve assemblies are available to accommodate these two mounting systems. Further, because customized installations may have variable thicknesses, the valve for a customized installation must be adjusted and tightened after the tile has been laid even though the underside of the valve is inaccessible after tile installation.
Attempts to remedy this problem include designing special tools, such as a threaded sleeve, that can be slipped down the deck around the valve to pull a plate, nut, or other structure upward and therefore allow valve adjustments from above the deck. These structures, however, have limited contact area between the sleeve and the structure being adjusted to tighten the valve, making it difficult to generate enough frictional force to tighten the valve with sufficient clamping force. As a result, currently known structures may still allow the valve to remain somewhat loose. Further, currently known structures require specialized tools to tighten the valve, making valve adjustment inconvenient at best and impossible for workers who do not possess the specialized tools.
There is a desire for a valve assembly for deck-mounted tubs that can be easily tightened from above the deck without requiring specialized tools. There is also a desire for a valve assembly that can be effectively installed in both conventional and customized installations.